News you need to know and more. Monthly Newsletter "We truly stand at the intersections of support and healing for our community." A new name for Doorways' hospital accompaniment program Doorways launched the Sexual Assault Response Advocate (SARA) program in fiscal year 2015, supporting survivors with 4 accompaniments. In 2017, our staff—including our Mobile Advocate—and volunteers provided 30 accompaniments to survivors. "Seeing the growing need in our community for our hospital response to be inclusive and comprehensive, we added domestic violence forensic exams to our hospital accompaniment response in fiscal year 2018," said Samantha Clarke, Doorways' Chief Program Officer. "That year, advocates provided a total of 60 accompaniments for survivors of sexual and domestic violence, showing just how much our response has grown. In fiscal year 2019, in addition to our accompaniments for sexual assault, we accompanied 6 survivors of domestic violence and 3 survivors who had experienced both sexual assault and domestic violence." Now, to reflect the comprehensive response Doorways provides through hospital accompaniment, we will be embracing a new name that best supports our mission and ensures our community’s understanding of their options. "Going forward our hospital response for survivors of sexual and domestic violence will be called 'HARP' – the Hospital Accompaniment Response Program, supported by our 'HART' – Hospital Accompaniment Response Team, comprised of our staff and volunteer Hospital Accompaniment Advocates." We are grateful to these advocates for providing compassion, support, and guidance to survivors of sexual and domestic violence, and to all of you who support this critical effort. Additional News Our latest report 2018 marked an incredible moment in our history. Not only did we experience a tremendous increase in need for all of our programs, but we also learned of new areas where our service was needed. Thanks to you, we were able to reach populations who have been traditionally underserved, including youth, male survivors, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. These opportunities to grow brought new members to our team and new clients through our many doorways. Learn more. In case you missed it: View and Download Now Youth homelessness must be made visible through systems collaboration "We simply have not been asking the right questions within our systems to allow youth to share their housing needs. Youth homelessness should be visible, but it requires the commitment of and collaboration among all public serving systems to make it so." Continue reading. Missed Opportunities: Pathways from Foster Care to Youth Homelessness in America "The high percentage of young people experiencing homelessness who have been in foster care underscores the critical need for child welfare systems to play a central role in ending homelessness among youth," reports Chapin Hall in their latest research-to-impact brief. "The child welfare system cannot solve the problem of youth homelessness by itself; but, together with other public systems and nonprofit organizations, it can prevent young people with a history of foster care from becoming homeless." Read more. 7 warning signs someone is experiencing abuse "Domestic violence does not discriminate. It victimizes both young and old, rich and poor, and people of all races, religions and sexual orientations," People magazine reports. "Many instances of domestic violence go undetected; some abusive relationships last for years without anyone on the outside knowing. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, here are seven signs often displayed by people abused by their partners." Male victims of domestic violence struggle to disclose abuse "Men tend to worry they would not be believed, or that they would be perceived as less masculine if they reported abuse," reports a new review of 12 previous studies of male victims of domestic abuse or violence. "When men are unable to see themselves as victims, it increases their reluctance to seek help." Read more. How can you help someone who is being abused? As a friend, family member or co-worker of someone in an unhealthy or violent relationship, you may be the first person to recognize your loved one is not safe. There are many things you can do to maintain your relationship with them and assist them in building a safety net for them, their children and their pets. Here are a few suggestions. Get Tips Partner Spotlight The Liberty Tavern/ Lyon Hall/ Northside Social support Doorways in many ways year-round, including providing delicious food for our annual client holiday party. Co-founder Stephen Fedorchak serves on our emeritus board (and formerly served as the chair of our board of directors). Stephen, his family, and his team are tremendous supporters of Doorways. We so appreciate their partnership! Community Voices "When I think about all that me and my girls are today, all we give back, all we know, all we are on course to accomplish in life, I know we are making our community stronger. (…) The tools and life skills I learned thanks to the help I got years ago, matched with my strong desire to succeed, made all the difference." —Doorways graduate "I love the mission and people of Doorways. I love the families, though I’ve never met them. They are remarkable people who endure heartbreaking chaos and hardship. I want to contribute to building a world in which people transitioning from hardship and violence have a place to recover and grow, getting the support and help they need without judgment or fear of being further harmed. With the residential services provided to clients, funds are dearly needed. Please join me in supporting this important and necessary mission." —Mike Stemle, Brighter Futures Society member Doorways for Women and Families | P.O. Box 100185, Arlington, VA 22210 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!